As the season progresses our U23s are feeling the strain of training under Marcelo Bielsa -- the only way to get up to standard is to play games at full intensity; new recruits to the side also struggle with the levels of effort demanded.
The U23s side are struggling, victims of their own success as players who are graduating to the first team are now unavailable for U23 matches; injuries to first team starters mean more potential opportunities for the academy boys to advance.
The greatest underachievers in world football, Belgium have proven adept at qualifying for major tournaments but failing to make the most of the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Thibaut Courtois.
During the 1950s Hungary's Magnificent Magyars drove footballing culture forward. Their failure to win the 1954 World Cup remains one of the sport's great missed opportunities.